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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. last — to go on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. last — finally
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — final
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com